A week at the Beach

We just returned from a week at the beach.  We had a good trip…only one afternoon of rain and thankfully came home before the effects of hurricanes came through.  To my surprise little boy was almost (and I mean almost) totally potty trained for the trip.  He actually held it till we came to a gas station or rest stop AND got out of the pool to potty which is totally surprising.  Most trips were with me to the Ladies Room except for that one time at a rest stop outside of Birmingham where he chose to “water a tree”.  We were very impressed.

First full day there husband got stung by jellyfish and little boy refused to walk on the sand or get near the ocean (not because of the jellyfish…just because).  We finally got him to the beach the last day but he had to be carried out there and would only sit on a towel while his mommy built sand castles and hunted for shells (and fetched shells for him too).  But he loved the pool.  We were out there every morning when the pool opened and stayed till lunch then went back out in the afternoon.  I think he only napped one or two days which was unfortunate because that meant he fell asleep before we could go to dinner.  I absolutely refuse to cook or clean while on vacation and husband loves seafood so going on is what we loved to do.  One night we couldn’t wake him and ended up having bologna sandwiches for dinner….blah….I was already eating those for lunch.

While we were down there we ran into some friends of ours.  We were waiting to get a table outside the Original Oyster House when husband went inside to the bar to get little boy some soda when a guy at the bar looked over and then nudged him…..It was our friends Rob and Z who had made a last minute trip down there for their anniversary.  We had not seen them in awhile so it was really good to see them and quite funny that we did down at the beach.

I get an email from my mom who was suppose to go check on my animals and it turns out she can’t find the key to my house.  If it wasn’t for the heat I probably wouldn’t have worried but I was afraid they’d run out of water.  Thankfully she found the key and they went and checked on everybody.  I could now enjoy the rest of my vacation knowing they were okay.  It’s hard to travel anywhere when you have so many pets.  Of course with Buster gone it feels like I don’t have hardly any but most people would agree…4 cats and 3 dogs is a lot of pets.  I can’t help being such an animal lover…you can imagine how upset I got down at the beach to see three black cats hanging outside a seafood restaurant right there on the Gulf highway (very close to the road).  Of course I gathered leftovers and gave them some (probably shouldn’t have encouraged that but couldn’t help it).

While at the beach, I made the mistake of checking my work messages one afternoon and discovered the lady who I had interviewed with had called and wanted to talk to my current supervisor.  I emailed her back and told her she could but that I was at the beach and had not had a chance to tell him about the interview.  She agreed to wait and this morning I told him….We’ll have to wait and see about that one. 

So back to the grind for us……all the animals were okay when we got home and even though we loved the beach I was sorta glad to be home…at least to sleep in my own bed….knowing all the work that needs to be done around the house isn’t fun but…it’s home….

Could it be…..?

After all my fretting over looking for a new job (since I don’t see much potential where I’m at and not happy with the direction the organization is going)….I finally got an interview yesterday.  The interview went pretty good I think and they seemed impressed by my resume……it would be more money and has great potential to get even more money because the actual supervisor of the position is not moving down here from DC with the rest of the organization.  The only thing is I’d have to go to DC for 3 weeks to get training as a condition of employment….

Number one, three weeks away from by little boy, my husband and my critters is a long time.  Last time I was gone a week, little boy for a split second acted like he didn’t know me….that hurt even though it was a split second.  Secondly, I hate to travel by myself and that will be a source of severe anxiety….flying there won’t be so bad alone but getting a rental car and driving to the location..then driving back to the airport when I leave………..lots of traffic…..I hate it.  I’m a real woosey when it comes to major traffic which is why I could never live in a really big city….people are crazy on the road.

I won’t let the 3 week training decide whether to take the job if they offer it…..sure it will be scary but I couldn’t pass this up because it’s a great opportunity.

Not sure when I’ll hear back on it since I stayed home today with little boy who is sick and then Sunday I’m gone out of town for a week.  I haven’t even told my boss I interviewed (which I had planned to do this morning before I found out I had to stay home).  Oh well…..I guess we’ll see…..I thought I was ready for a changc butit sure is scary!!

Good-Bye

Well yesterday I took my elderly cat Buster to the vet again because he just wasn’t getting better.  I did all kinds of research on what the problem might be…..suspect was Gingivitis Stomatatis (or something spelled like that) which is common in felines who are positive for the Feline AIDS (FIV).  He had all the symptoms for that which was very disturbing.  Buster had always been an indoor or restricted cat except for a short period when I moved back home with my mom and he was allowed outside.  The FIV is mostly spread through deep wounds from fighting and not so much from sharing food or water.  Buster had been in fights while living there but don’t know how bad.

Armed with this knowledge I asked the vet about it and also asked if we could try Amoxicillin since that’s what we used last year when he had an abcessed tooth and it seemed to help.  After examining him and stating that he had lost 2 pounds and was anemic, she more or less tried to hint that even if we pulled all his teeth or changed his antibiotic she was afraid it may be something else that might be preventing him from getting better. She didn’t say FIV but that could have been it…either way..even if he got better for awhile it would probably not last.

I knew what she was suggesting but neither her or my mom who I had forced to come with me would just come out and say it…..

The vet who was very understanding and nice told me not feel guilty but of course I do.  I don’t like making that kind of decision…almost playing God…  But I decided to go ahead.  I thought I was prepared for that news but you never really are.

I said good bye to my sweet boy and kissed his face and they took him away.  We brought him to my mom’s and buried him on the hill where so many other of our beloved pets are resting…..

Misery

This is day 27 with posion ivy.  It seems to come and go.  The initial breakout has healed but I seem to still have flare ups on my arms, chest, stomach and sometimes my legs although the legs just itch and I have not reactivated the rash.

I’ve tried several things and they provide relief for awhile then I forget about it.  I usually start itching at night and then by the time I wake up the rash has gotten worse.

I go to the beach soon so if this doesn’t go away soon I will look like a leper ……

Thanks for letting me complain.

Wassup?

I feel like I haven’t posted in forever.  So much going on but then again so little.  Buster is still dealing with his teeth problems.  I’m able to get him his antibiotic at least once a day and sometimes twice.  He’s been salivating alot and I read mixed things about that.  One site said it’s from the oral medication or another hinted it may be further mouth problems or liver problems.  I continue to monitor him.

We are still at wits in with the potty learning.  I brought home a borrowed book yesterday on “What to Expect in the Toddler Years”.  I’m surprised I didn’t already have this one.  I loved the “What to Expect the First Year” one.  Chapter 19 is about potty training.  Husband wants to punish and I say no….I think we are more stressed about it than he is.  I just get frustrated because they claim he does so well at school but yet when I pick him up he’s either wet or pees as soon as we get home.

Other family includes a nephew who is awaiting brain surgery, a 2nd cousin recovering from heart surgery and still dealing with husband’s sorry siblings over his mom’s stuff.  

And three weeks until my vacation…………

See…a lot yet nothing……….That’s my life.

Bad Teeth

I took off the afternoon to take Buster to the vet.  I drove all the way to the next town where my mom lives because I like the vet there and used to take all my animals there.  Buster’s abscessed tooth had burst and I think that helped the infection.  The vet recommended giving him a antibiotic shot mixed with an anti-inflammatory and then me giving him liquid antibiotic for 7 days.  She didn’t pressure me into having his teeth pulled or anything because of his age (he’s 15 we believe).  She listened to his heart and lungs and said they sounded good and with that she would feel more comfortable knocking him out to clean and pull teeth but as I already knew there is always a chance a cat that old won’t do well in surgery.

She suggested I take him home, give him the antibiotics and see how he does.  Then if I decide to I can bring him back for a teeth cleaning.  The thing about older cats and cats with dental issues is the older they get the more likely it is that this will happen again and next time he could swallow a tooth and get infection that could damage his insides.

I can already tell he feels better which made me feel better too.  I will start the liquid antibiotics tomorrow.  Luckily he’ll take it in his food.

Sick Kitty

I’m sad to say my oldest cat Buster is not doing very well.  At first I thought he was just getting old and just slowly going down hill after I noticed a couple of weeks ago how weak he seemed.  He couldn’t jump up on a chair without falling over.  After a dream about him dying in the yard and the dogs getting ahold of him, I brought him up to the screen porch so I could monitor him and make sure he is getting enough food.  Since the dogs have been running lose they tend to get into the cat food and since I have to feed them can food on the patio table….Buster may not always make it up there.

This week I noticed the right side of Buster’s face is swollen so I’m afraid he has an abcessed tooth again.  Last time he had one it burst before I even knew he had a problem and I gave him antibiotics I had left over from when the kittens were fixed.  He got better and was like a new cat.  This time I’m afraid he may need to go to the vet and have the tooth pulled.  Buster has a history of bad oral health.  He’s already had teeth pulled and cleaned but I’m not sure he could handle that again at his age.  I don’t want him to suffer though.

This just has me really upset.  I wish I still had some antibiotics left but I must have thrown it out when our power was out for 9 hours and a lot of the stuff in the fridge had to be thrown out.

I have a feeling this will be very expensive and the outcome will not be good which is why I am so upset.  But I know I need to do something very soon.

Your Breath is Really Bad

Isn’t it funny how when we are young or we get really old….we speak our minds more.  I mean when we are middle age adults we think about things (usually) before we say them and more often than not….have regards for others feelings etc (most people anyways).

On the 4th I was over at my sister-in-laws house for a cookout and swim party.  I had brought over a new recipe I wanted to try…Buffalo Chicken Dip (very good).  We decided to try it almost as soon as we arrived then I got in the pool.  My 4 year old nephew was in the pool and I was saying something to him and he was looking at me with a grimace on his face.  When I finished he said to me  when the most serious look on his face “your breath is really bad”.  I apologized and said I had just had this dip.  He said “Well you should have eaten a cracker or something.  You know you really shouldn’t get in people’s faces after eating like that.”  He still had the most serious look on his face.  I couldn’t help but laugh and be mortified at the same time.  But the fact of the matter was…my breath was probably bad….Now most people would be a little more tactful about a bad breath situation…but not children…They say it like they mean it.

Later my mom tells me how she talking to my grandmother about a gift my mother had brought her last time we were there for a visit.  My grandmother tells my mom….”Awh I don’t use that.  It’s too much trouble to put up”.  That really hurt my mom’s feelings and she was like….she didn’t have to tell me that!….

Well we decided old people are the same way as children…they just speak their mind and are honest…. It’s only in between that we keep our mouths shut.  I don’t know which is better….